Continuous-process cooker.



J. C. WINTERS.

CONTINUOUS PROCESS COOKER.

APPLIOATION FILED 11111.27, 1911.

1,00, 1 6g, Patented 001. 17, 1911.

2 SHEBTSSHEET 1.

FIG. 24 23 2 [NVE/VTOR:

' Attorneys:

J. U. WINTERS.

CONTINUOUS PROCESS COOKER.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 27, 1911.

2 SHEETS-SHEET z.

F/azb 20 WIT/V155 I INVENTOR- z/z l/ 1 JOHN G. WINTERS, OF MOUNT MORRIS,NEW YORK.

CONTINUOUS-PROCESS COOKER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed January 27, 1911.

Patented Oct. 1'7, 1911.

Serial No. 605,112.

To allwhom 'it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN C. WINTERS, a citizen of the United States,residing at Mount Morris, in the county of Livingston and State of NewYork, have invented or discovered certain new and useful Improvements inContinuous-Process Cookers, of which the following is a specification,reference being had therein to the accompanying drawin s.

This invention relates to an apparatus for cooking or sterilizing cannedgoods, and more particularly to that class of cookers known ascontinuous process cookers, and through which sealed cans are caused totravel successively in such a manner that they will be continuously fedinto and continuously discharged from thecooker when the same is inoperation; and the invention has for its object to provide an apparatus,of the class referred to, which is of such construction that thematerial in the cans will be properly agitated during the travel of thecans through the cooker, so that the contents of the cans may beproperly subjected throughout to the action of heat in such cookingoperation, thus avoiding the objection resulting from imperfect cookingof the inner or middle portions of the contents of the cans.

The improved a paratus comprises a retort which is prefgrably in theform of a vertical,tightly closed cylinder into which steam" may beadmitted for the cooking opof annular, horizontal, stationary ornonrotating shelves which may be supported in any suitable manneradjacent the wall thereof, said shelves providing ways in which the cansmay be caused to travel. Rotatively mounted within the cylinder is a candriver or carrier having horizontally projecting fingers extending overthe shelves for the purpose of rolling the cans along on said shelves.Each shelf isprovided wit-h a discharge aperturethrough which the cansmay pass downward by gravity from one shelf to the other throughout-theentire series of sleeves, said apertures being staggered or arranged outof line with each j partly open bottoms so that steam may othervertically, so that when a canpasses through an aperture in one shelf itwill be received on the shelf below, and in thus passing downward willhave its contents agitated by the impact of the fall, such contentsbeing also more or less agitated" or stirred by the rolling action towhich the cans are subjected in passing around the shelves. The canswill be fed into the retort or receptacle by a rotary cut-off valvehaving a series of pockets, and are likewise discharged from the retort,without permitting any considerable escape of steam, all as willhereinafter more fully appear.

In the drawings Figure 1 is a vertical sectional'view of an apparatusembodying the present invention. Fig. 2 is a plan View of the same withthe cover removed. Fig. 3 is a broken out detail'sectional View to showthe inlet and outlet valves and the discharge apertures in the shelves.

Referring to the drawings, 12 denotes a suitable base in which may bemounted the driving shaft 13 provided with pulleys 14 and 15. Supportedb said base is a retort 16, preferably in the orm of a vertical cylinderhaving at its top a cover 17 by which it may be tightly closed. The saidcylinder is provided in its interior with a series of annular shelves 18so constructed as to provide suitable ways in which the cans may travel.These shelves are preferably sup- ,ported on a stationary frame 19having-sup- :porting brackets 20, said frame resting at its bottom onthe floor or bottom wall of the .cylinder 16, and being non-rotatablyattached or fixed relative to the said cylinder in any suitable manner.eration. Within the said cylinder 1s a series Rotatably mounted withinthe retort or cylinder 16 is a can driver or carrier comprising acentral shaft 21 to which are attached spider-wheels 22 connected byvertical bars 23 to which are securedhoops or bands 2 1 carryingradially projectin driving fingers 25, the latter being space apart adistance slightly greater than the diameter of the cans. to be operatedupon, so that said fingers, as they travel around over the shelves 18,will roll the cans along on said shelves. The shaft 21 may be driven inany suitable manner as by being provided with a Worm-wheel 26 meshingwith a worm 27 'on the driving shaft 13.

The shelves 18 are preferably formed with have free access to the canswhich are to be rolled along thereon, and each of the said' shelves isprovided with a discharge aperture 28 through which the cans may besuccessively discharged from one shelf to the next shelf below afterthey have completed their travel around each shelf. The dischargeapertures are arranged out of line with each other vertically, so thatwhen a can falls through an aperture it will be received on the shelfbelow, and thus the cans may be successively discharged from one shelfto another until they have passed downward through the cylinder, eachcan preferably performing a nearly full circle of travel around a shelfbefore being discharged to the next shelf below.

The cans are successively fed to the retort or cooker by a rotary valve29 having a series of pockets 30, to receive the cans, and cut-off orbody portions between said pockets to prevent the escape of steam; thecans being supplied to the said rotary valve by any suitable means, asby being passed down an inclined chute 31. After the cans have been fedthrough the cooker or retort they are discharged therefrom in anysuitable manner, as by being passed through an outlet spout 32 to anoutlet or discharge valve 33 having can-receiving pockets 34: which willcarry the cans from the spout 32 to a discharge spout 35.

In the operation of the carrier steam under a pressure of preferablyabout 15 pounds to the square inch will be supplied to the cylinder orretort by any suitable means (not shown) and the rotary inlet anddischarge valves 29 and 33 will be driven by any sultable or well-knowndriving means. The driving shaft 13 being set into operation the rotaryvalve 29 will supply the cans to the upper shelf in the cooker orretort, and after the cans have passed around said upper shelf they willfall through an aperture 28 therein to the next succeeding shelf, and soon downward through the different shelves until they are discharged fromthe cooker to the spout 32 and the outlet valve 33. In this operationthe rotating carrier within the cylinder or retort will be driven atsuch a speed, according to the kind of goods to be cooked, as willcomplete the cooking operation for each particular kind of goods by thetime the cans have traveled through the cooker. As the cans will berolled along on the shelves 16 by the driving fingers 25 the contents ofsaid cans will be suitably agitated, and as the cans fall from one shelfto another this agitation or stirring of the material in the cans willbe augmented by the impact of the falls, so that the contents of the canwill be suitably exposed throughout to the action of heat within thecooker or retort for the cooking operation.

The shelves 18, supported by the brackets 20, and affording tracks onwhich the cans may travel,'will preferably consist of curved or circularangle-irons spaced apart from each other, thus providing inner flangeswhich will retain the cans on the shelves, and leaving curved openingsbetween the spaced angle-irons.

Having thus described my invention I claim and desire to secure byLetters Patent:

1. In a continuous process cooker, the combination with a verticalcylinder or retort, of a series of annular, horizontal, can-receivingshelves within said cylinder or retort, each of said shelves beingprovided with a discharge aperture, a rotary driver within the saidcylinder or retort for carrying the cans around on said shelves, andinlet and outlet valves provided with pockets for feeding the cans toand discharging them from the cooker.

2. In a continuous process cooker, the combination with a verticalcylinder or retort, of a series'of annular, horizontal, can-receivingshelves within said cylinder or retort, each of said shelves beingprovided with a discharge aperture, the discharge openings of successiveshelves being out of line, vertically, 'with each other, a rotary driverwithin the said cylinder or retort for carrying the cans around on saidshelves, and inlet and outlet valves provided with pockets for feedingthe cans to and discharging them from the cooker.

3. In a continuous process cooker, the combination with a verticalcylinder or retort, of a series of annular, horizontal, can-receivingshelves within said cylinder or retort,

each of said shelves being provided with a discharge aperture, a rotardriver within the said cylinder or retort or carrying the cans around onsaid shelves to the discharge apertures, said rotary driver comprisingspaced radial fingers extending over said shelves to engage the cans,and inlet and outlet valves provlded with ockets for feeding the cans toand discharglng them from the cooker.

4:. In a continuous rocess cooker, the combination with a verticalcylinder or retort, of a series of annular, horizontal, can-receivingshelves within said cylinder or retort, each of said shelves beingprovided with a discharge aperture, a rotary driver within the saidcylinder or retort for carrying the cans around on said shelves, saidrotary driver comprising a vertical shaft, spiderwheels carried by saidshaft, vertical bars connecting said spider-wheels, circular bands orhoops attached to said bars, and spaced, radially projecting fingerscarried by said bands or hoops, and inlet and outlet valves providedwith pockets for feeding the cans to and discharging them from thecooker.

5. In a continuous process cooker, the combination with a suitableretort or receptacle, of a series of stationary, horizontally disposedcan-receiving tracks within said retort or receptacle, said tracks beingarranged one above the other and each provided with an In testimonwhereof I afiix my signature,

opening, Ff means within said retort or rein presence 0 two witnesses.

ceptacle or causing the cans to travel on said tracks and to besuccessively discharged JOHN WINTERS downward from one track to another,and Witnesses:

means for feeding cans to and discharging J N0. M. PROPHEL,

them from sald retort or receptacle. H. T. RANNEY.

